Safety-valve



J. S. MAXWELL.

SAFETY VALVE. APPLICATION FILED ocr. I. I9Ia.

1,330,329; PaIenIed Feb.10,1920.

JOHN S. MAXWELL, OF RICHMOND, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE STARR PIANO COMPANY, OF RICHMOND, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

. SAFETY-VALVE.

A Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb, 10, 1920,

Application filed october 7, 1918. Serial No. 257,229.

lhave found that the ordinary form of these valves have many disadvantages, .not only in matters of construction but also in their mode of operation. I have found, for instance, that the thickness of these valves from the innermost to the outermost point is at least 100% greater than necessary, and one of the more important features of` this invention is to overcome this defect. In the orthodox Vtype of safety valve employed for this purpose, the greater the amount of the opening of the valve, the greater is the ten sion on the springs tending to close it. This means that where there is a rather sudden expansion of the gases contained in the balloon, the patch, to which the valve is connected, is subjected to an undue strain and as a result this patchfis liable io be torn rendering the valve functionless an d thereby subjecting the balloon itself to the danger of exploding as a result of undue expansion of the gases therein contained. An-

other of themore important features of my j invention therefore consists in overcoming this vobjection by providing a construction in which a constant or substantially constant tension on the springs is maintained irres ective of the amount the valve is opened.

nd a still further feature of my invention consists in the provision of mechanism for increasing and decreasing at will the Vtension Von the .springs employed toy maintain the v valve on its seat thereby enabling the valve to be responsive'to any predetermined or de- Y sired pressure.

lOther objects and advantages will appear from the detailed description below taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in-which- Figure `1 is a top plan view of the'valve. Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 ofFig.1.-,, j 'v ENT vEnron.'

Fig. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of the spring adjusting disk. y

. F ig. 4l: is a transverse section on line of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a detail of a valve locking screw.

Referring to the drawing in detail, which illustrates one of the. preferred embodiments of my invention, the reference numeral 10 designates a'base securedjin any convenient fashion to the walls of the bal loon. Secured to the base 10 is an outwardly projectingannular frame 1l provided with a laterallyprojecting annular flange 12. The base 10, frame 11 and flange Y 12 are preferably made of a solid .piece of aluminum for' lightness Vand strength, and for the purpose of avoiding the formation or development of any static electricity thereon due, among other things, to the friction of the escaping gases.

On Ythe inner side of the lateral flange there is provided an` annular valve seat or j gasket 15v of flexible or elastic material to enable the valve 14e, to seat fluid tight thereon. Secured lto any suitable part of thebase 10, preferably to the frame 11' or .flange 12is a vspider composed of a plu` rality of arms 15 which converge to a point as indicated at X. Y y

The valve Y14 is held normally against Vits seat 13 by means of the following mech- -anismz To `the lateralV flange 12 there are secured doublebrackets or fulcrum plates 16-17, preferably four in number. Tov

each of these double brackets there is pivotally connected one of the endsof each of the two links 18-19, the other ends of the arms of a jbell crank lever 20. The intermediate portions of thesejlevers are pivotally connected to brackets or lugs 21, fiXed to the outer face of Lvalve 15 and the other .ends of which are provided with Veyes 22 adapted to be engagedby one of the ends of springs 23, four in number. The other `endsof each of these springs are'connected .which are pivotally connected to one of j and when moved in a clock-wise direction it serves through slots 28 and studs 42.9 to draw the valve la.

the fingers 24 longitudinally toward the axis of rotation of said disk 27 and thereby increase the tension on the springs 23. VWhen this disk 27, however, is moved in a counter-clock-wise'direction, the fingers 2i are moved away from the axis of rotation of said disk and the tension of the springs is decreased. It will, of course, be understood that arcuate slots 33 are provided in the disk 27 to receive the fastening screws 30, and the length of these slots is preferably such as to venable a sufficient yrotation ofthe disk 27 to utilize the full effects of the slots 28. Y

As previously stated the disk 26 is fixed 'te This may be done in any suitable manner. Passing through the disks 26 and 27 is an eye-bolt 34 to the eye 35 of which one end of a cord (not shown) is attached, the other end of said cord being attached to a patch `V(not shown) on substaiitially the opposite inner surface of the' balloon, as will be understood. iTlie fastening nut 3G of the eye-bolt is somewhat elon-v gated to receive the threaded end of the Vmember 37which passes through the point X of the spider 15, and serves not only to draw the valve into fluid tight relation to its seat,

Y It will also be apparent' that notwithstanding the improvements which I have made, the valve is simpler in construction, neater in design and cheaper to manufacture than Y any other heretoforeV in vogue, and it is tovbe expressly understood that I do not limit my-` self to the'exact 'construction illustrated and described, as many changes may be made in points of .detail and other embodiments resorted to without deviating from the tiue spirit and scope of my invention.

' What is claimed is l, In ka safety valve for observation balloons, a base member provided with a valve seat` thereon, a valve for sai-d seat, and means "for controlling Ythe direction of movement of' said valve toward and away from its seat, in combination with resilient means attached Aprising brackets fixed to said base member vto said controlling means and to said `valve for maintaining the latter upon its seat.

2. In a safety Vvalve, for observation bal` loons, a base member provided with a valve seat thereon, a valve for said seat, and means for controlling the direction of movement of said valve toward and away from its seat, in combination with resilient means connected to said controlling means and to said valve for maintaining the latter upon its seat, and means for adjusting the tension of said resilient means.V Y Y 3. In a safety valve for observation balicons, a base member provided with av valve seat thereon, a valve for said seat, means for controlling the direction of' movement of said valve toward and away from its' seat comprising bell crank levers pivotally secured to said valve one arm ofeaoh of which is pivotally connected to said base, in combination with resilient means connected vto the other arm of each of said levers and to said valve .for maintaining the 'latter upon its seat. Y

4. In a safety valve for observation balloons, a base member provided with a valve seatv thereon, a valve vfor said 3 seat, and means for controlling the direction of move-V ment of said valve toward and away from its seat and for normally maintaining the same upon said seat comprising bracketsor fulcrum plates secured to said base member, links one end of'each of which is pivotally connected to 'saidbracketa bellfcrank levers nivoted to said valve one arm of each of which is pivotallviconnected to .the other end of each of said links, and resilient means connected to the other arm of each of said lbell crank levers and to said valve.

5. In a safety valve for observation balloons, a base member provided with a valve seat thereon, a valve for said seat, and means foi` exertinga substantially uniform pull upon said valve in the direction of its 4closing movement' whether it is fully open, closed or at any internziediate position com- 7 bell crank levers pivoted to said valve, links pivotallv lconnected to said bracketsand to one ofthe arms of Veach of said bellv crank levers, and resilient means connectedto the rother arm of each ofsaid bell crank levers of its closing movement whether it is fully open, is closed, or is at any Vintermediate position, comprising bell crank levers pivoted to the 'valve one of Vthe larms of each of which is pivotally connected to saidbase, and resilient means connected to the other arm of each of said, bell crank levers and` to said valve.

7. A construction as specified in claim 6 in combination vvith means carried by the valve for varying the tension of the resilient means.

S. ln a safety valve for observation balloons, a basemember provided with a valve seat thereon, a valve for said seat, and means for exerting a substantially uniform pull upon said valve in the direction'of its closing movement Whether it is fully open, closed or at any intermediate position comprising means .for controlling the direction of movement of said valve toward and awa-y from its seat, and resilient means connected to said controlling` means and anchored to said valve.

9. In a safety valve for observation balloons, a base member provided with a valve seat thereon, a valve for said seat, mechanism for pivotally connecting said valve to said base,`and means for closing said valve and maintaining the same upon its seat comprising a plurality of springs one of the ends of each of Which is connected to said mechanism, and a tension adjusting means carried by said valve to which the other ends of said springs are connected.

10. A safetyvalve for observation bal- 11. A spring tension adjusting mechanism for safety valves used in observation balloons comprising two relatively movable disks one of which carries spring connecting ingers movable toward and from the axis of said disks, and vthe other of Which is provided With means for actuating said lin-y gers when it is relatively rotated.

19.. A valve device comprising a frame having a transverse valve seat surrounding a fluid passage, a disk-type valve coacting with said seat, a plurality of bell-crank levers fulcrumed on the valve, links connecting said levers With the frame, and spring means Wholly supported by said valve and tending to turn the levers in a direction to close the valve.

In testimony whereof l afliX my signature.

JoHN s. MAXWELL. 

